Stray Data
by Aria6
Summary: In the second Battle Network, what happened to all the copies of Bass? Did he find them all... or did he miss one? What other stray data is out there... and what will it do?
1. Default Chapter

I am the last.  
  
All the others are gone, slain by our... predecessor. Oh, how he would hate that term. I use it deliberately. I despise him.  
  
Not for feeling the way he does about humans. I have neutral feelings on the subject, but I'm sure he has his reasons... no, I despise him for killing us. For killing my brother.  
  
Since I am a program, perhaps I should say delete, but that's so... sanitary. It doesn't do justice to the facts of violent death, even digital death. Perhaps it does reflect the fact that we Navis have backups... but I and my brother don't. We WERE the backups. For us, and ending is an ending.  
  
Mmm. Who might my brother be, you ask? Perhaps I should call him twin. Or clone. He was unfortunate enough to move at the wrong moment, and attract the attention of our predecessor. I did nothing to help, but I don't blame myself, and I don't think he blamed me. It would only have meant two deaths, if I had stepped out to face our predecessor by his side. Oh, but how I hate him for taking away my only friend...  
  
My twin. We traveled together, put our heads together, tugged each others ponchos... wretched things, those, what was our predecessor thinking... and we spoke in hushed, but friendly tones. How I miss you.  
  
Well, enough of that. He is dead, as dead as summers leaves. I live, and I will continue to do so. I refuse to die.  
  
Ahh, but I need a... human. My predecessor would die a thousand deaths if he knew, I'm sure, but I do. I need a human who can change me, give me power I do not have. I need a human who can... operate me. These few powers I was created with are not enough, and I am no true Super Navi. I need a human to send me chips to augment myself, upgrades to increase myself.  
  
I will become a slave to a human, and survive. Perhaps, I will thrive, and one day teach my lovely predecessor a lesson in revenge.  
  
What a sweet notion. 


	2. Something Wicked this way Comes

Second Chapter! Please, read and review! XDD  
  
The Bargain  
  
"Woo hoo, man!"  
  
The plane, purple Navi was carefully circumventing protections. His operator wanted to venture into a section of the net usually reserved for Netbattlers... and he would manage it. He'd already gotten very far.  
  
By any measure, though, he was only a generic Navi. There was nothing at all special about him. He was not a fighter. his whole worth was in what his operator could do with him. He was able enough, within that qualification. But...  
  
He never noticed the dark red eyes watching him carefully, assessing his every move. He felt no prickle at their gaze, the way many. although not all. combat Navis would have. He didn't hear when a dark, dark Navi shifted quietly.  
  
hr  
  
Idiot.  
  
He's utterly oblivious to my presence. Fool. I could delete him without effort.  
  
And I will... it suits my plan... urgh! If I only had more time! ...Well, I don't. I can feel it in my bones.  
  
How stupid that sounds. I don't have bones, and I don't have flesh. But I've had hunches before, and my hunch is telling me my time is running out. I heed my hunches. Last time I had a feeling like this, it saved my life, as I huddled like a scared rabbit while Bass destroyed my twin...  
  
What's the human phrase? "By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes." Yes, I read Shakespeare in my spare time. And that seems a particularly apt phrase. Something wicked is coming.  
  
Well, enough of this. Something wicked is already here, and it's time to make myself known.  
  
hr  
  
The Navi didn't have time to scream, as green balls of light flew out, impacting him in the back. Destruction came instantly, data exploding outwards from the impact, tiny shards dissipating into the net. His operator was frozen in shock for a moment.  
  
"KNUT!" He screamed at the screen, punching the buttons of his Pet frantically. But the screen was filled with an unfamiliar face.  
  
Dark red eyes gazed out at him, with a dark, slightly malevolent intensity. Deeply tanned skin was lined with two purple stripes, marking his cheeks. A dark brown poncho, a poncho that floated around him, as he floated in the air, obscured the strange Navis' lower face. His helmet was unique... black, with strange fins of gold.  
  
"What have you done with Knut?" The boy demanded, hoping against hope that his Navi might still be there. Bass, for his part, regarded the operator.  
  
He felt... disappointed. This boy was clearly a child, no more than thirteen, probably less. When he'd searched for an appropriate operator, he hadn't been able to check age. he'd only been able to judge by the Navi. The Navi he'd deleted had been doing expert, illegal things with security systems, and showed signs of having being customized for his tasks. and the sort of operator who would have such a Navi was the kind he wanted.  
  
But he hadn't anticipated it being a child. Still, there was no time to look for another, so he shelved his disappointment.  
  
"He has been deleted." He stated calmly, staring at the child, who flushed in fury.  
  
"You! How dare you-" He started to spit out, but Bass interrupted.  
  
"You have backups." His tone was flat, cold. "I am Bass.EXE." The boy looked ready to take offense... then suddenly stopped with a blink.  
  
"Bass? The... the Super Navi?" The boy sounded awed. Bass smirked to himself, enjoying the reputation, even at secondhand, as he regarded the boy further. He was a redheaded child, well freckled, and very thin.  
  
"No. I am no Super Navi." He had to make that clear. It was very pertinent. "I was created by Gospel, a copy of the Super Navi Bass, created from bug fragments." The boy looked disturbed at that.  
  
"Bug frags? Doesn't that mean you'll turn into... that Multi-Bug Organism thing?" He looked queasy at the thought, and Bass' eyes narrowed.  
  
"I do not care to complete that transformation." He said coldly. "My mind is that of a Navi, not a bug." As the boy looked interested, he continued. "I am only a copy of the Super Navi... and he has taken exception to my existence. He hunts me, and the other copies. I believe I am the last."  
  
"So... why are you here? And why did you delete Knut?" That was obviously rankling. Bass shook his head slightly, but answered.  
  
"I need upgrades. I need to become more powerful. and I need an operator. A true Super Navi can download infinite chips in almost no time. I am not so lucky. the few powers I was created with are not sufficient. I need an operator. I need someone to send me special chips, to find chips, to find upgrades. I need someone to change my appearance, and energy signature, so Bass cannot find me. I need... you." Bass smirked as the boy stared, thunderstruck. "And as for Knut... what need would you have for me, if he were here?"  
  
"You... you..." The boy sputtered, then suddenly laughed. "You are SUCH a mercenary!" Bass shrugged slightly, setting his poncho to rippling. That accusation was certainly true. "And what do I get for all this?"  
  
"An excellent combat and infiltration Navi." Bass said coolly. "I will put all my skills at your feet. Perhaps we might even become... friends." It was not beyond possibility. The boy finally nodded.  
  
"Alright. Oh, my name's Mito." The boy... Mito, blinked and suddenly tilted his head to one side. "Hey, if you're not really Bass... shouldn't we change your name?"  
  
"More than that. My energy signature, appearance. but what do you want to call me?" He had no particular ideas on the subject. Mito thought for a moment, then grinned.  
  
"I'm calling you Fins." He announced, pointing at the screen. "What do you think of that?"  
  
"Fins is fine." Bass said, very deliberately keeping his voice and face cold and flat. He could tell when he was being baited. Mito looked slightly disappointed.  
  
"You're very hard to tease, Fins." He complained, but started the process to transfer Bass to his personal computer. Bass smirked, and commented once, before devoting his attention to the transfer.  
  
"Do tell." It might take a while, but he'd get used to being 'Fins'... 


	3. Searching for Lost Data

New name, new look, new attitude?  
  
"This is... interesting." Fins looked himself over, carefully examining the changes.  
  
He was trying to be tactful. He'd lost the poncho, which was all to the good, but the rest was up for debate. His armor was a bright, peacock blue now, instead of black. And his fins had been changed to glittering silver.  
  
All his trim was silver, now. His hands were still white. and he still had the facial marks, dull red eyes, and tanned skin. He'd insisted on that. But his energy signature was completely different. that change had cost him a great deal of pain. But Bass wouldn't be able to track him anymore.  
  
"I'm still not sure blue is my color." Fins mused. "Especially so vibrant a shade."  
  
"Aw, Fins, you look great!" Mito grinned at his Pet, and the Navi floating inside. "Hey, don't you ever walk?"  
  
"No. Why would I?"  
  
"I should have guessed. anyway, Knut, are you ready?" Mito turned to look at his computer and the Navi that had been revived inside it.  
  
"Yes." The purple Navi sounded sullen. He wasn't taking his demotion well. Fins had taken over all his functions, and he'd been changed into a computer program, rather than a Pet. Fins smirked, then frowned, realizing without his poncho, his expressions were clear. Perhaps a scarf.  
  
A scarf. That reminded him.  
  
"Are we ready to go back to the condo?" He looked up at his operator. Mito looked troubled, but nodded.  
  
"Yeah, but do you really think we'll find anything there? I think the Netbattlers' have cleaned it out." Mito said, dubious at the thought. Going to the old Gospel headquarters for the purpose of finding data might be hazardous. The Netbattlers might believe it was innocent curiosity, but then, they might not.  
  
"It is necessary." Fins tone was cold, hard, empty. Mito was already recognizing that that tone meant he couldn't be talked out of his course. "Jack me in, and get ready for battle. I can get there from here."  
  
".Alright. Fins, transmission!" Mito plugged him into the public terminal, and watched his Pet as Fins dove deeply into the net.  
  
hr  
  
The net is so beautiful.  
  
So very beautiful. Swirling data, ground of purple and blue, steel and electricity and more data...  
  
Humans might find beauty in a tree. I find beauty in a data block. Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder.  
  
I wonder if Bass has thoughts like this? Somehow, I doubt it. We were all copies, and at first, we were all exactly the same. Made to fight, nothing more.  
  
But over time, I and my twin... changed. We had strange thoughts, strange desires. And no, it was nothing perverted. Desires for freedom... I desired power, he desired knowledge for the sake of knowledge. I will admit I like to know things, but mostly for the power they bring me. He was different.  
  
We were all different. And Bass eliminated them all. How I hate him.  
  
Hmm, data. Data for the sake of data? Data for the sake of power? Ah, whatever, however. Mmm... I must search...  
  
Yes. It's here. Yes! Not much, not much... ah, there's more, scattered. I think it's enough. Protoman, how utterly careless! But, you were busy at the time.  
  
It will do. Enough for a revival. I wonder how much he will remember, what he will think?  
  
Perhaps I won't be the only one to hate. 


	4. Cats and Pets just don't mix

Cats+Hardware=Trouble  
  
"Idiot." Fins muttered to himself, staring at the ceiling. He didn't have much choice.  
  
He'd tried to wake up Mito on time, but it was a hopeless cause. He's finally given up in disgust, and let the kid suffer the consequences.  
  
So Mito had been running around like crazy, trying to get his stuff together in time to make it to the bus. That had been mildly entertaining, but then he'd run out the door... leaving behind his Navi. Fins smirked to himself, taking a certain sadistic pleasure in knowing Mito would miss him when it came time to hand in his homework assignment. It was stored on his Pet.  
  
But that pleasure vanished as he regarded the ceiling blankly, bored. School could be fascinating, especially when he got to trash viruses. This was anything but.  
  
"So damn boring!" There was a sudden snigger from the PC. Mito had forgotten to turn that off, too. "Did he do this a lot to you, Knut?" He asked.  
  
"All the time." The purple Navi said smugly. "And it gets worse."  
  
Fins eyes narrowed, and he was about to ask what Knut meant by that. when his viewpoint suddenly moved. "...?"  
  
"Mew?" Something furry suddenly obscured his view, and then he got a view of something far too wet and organic.  
  
"Don't lick my monitor!" He exclaimed, identifying the intruder as Murtle, Mito's cat. She mewed again, and playfully batted his terminal. He screamed in rage. a scream that was muffled, as he hit the carpet facedown. Knut laughed unpleasantly as the cat knocked around the terminal.  
  
"...Augh!" Fins finally managed to say, when his terminal was knocked rightside up again. "Knut, how do I stop this?!?"  
  
"You don't. You deal with it 'till Mito gets home. Have fun." With a last laugh, he disappeared from the screen, vanishing into the 'Net. Fins screamed again as Murtle sat on him.  
  
"I am NOT going to tolerate this!" He snarled, before placing himself into stasis.  
  
Mito could activate him when he got home.  
  
hr  
  
After school...  
  
Something tugged on Fins awareness, and his monitor flickered. One of his buttons had been pressed.  
  
But, as Fins gazed out, he saw only. suds.  
  
"?!? Mito?" He tried to make out what was there... and his Pet was suddenly lifted out of the sink.  
  
"Fins, I'm so sorry! I totally forgot you! I forgot my homework!" Fins glared, trying to remain patient as Mito babbled on about getting an F in his assignment.  
  
"Why were you washing me?" He cut in coldly, and Mito blushed.  
  
"Uh, well... the cat sort of peed on you... so you were kinda..."  
  
"What?!?" His shriek was piercing, and Mito winced, holding him away.  
  
"Yeah, so I was-"  
  
"That cat is DEAD! D E A D dead! I'm going to take over the house systems! I'll activate the toilet when she's drinking from it! I'll start the drying machine while she's sleeping inside! Ahahahhahahahaa!!!!" Slightly hysterical, enraged laughter echoed through the room.  
  
"Has he lost it?" Knut commented, and Mito flushed.  
  
"FINS! Get a grip!" Mito snapped. "She's just a cat, and you will NOT hurt her! You are my Navi!" Fins glared, but started to calm down a bit.  
  
"Well, I'll make her regret this somehow..." He muttered quietly, then spoke up louder. "Have you almost finished reconstituting the data, Knut?"  
  
"Yeah, although I dunno what you guys want this for." He said, sullen again, and Mito smiled.  
  
"We have a plan, Knut. He might be useful. Let's start the final procedures..." 


	5. Return of the Clones

Return of the Clones

"So, this is all of them." Fins regarded the forms with a cold, calculating smile. "Excellent."

There had only been enough data left from Gospel's archives, and the direct remains, to reconstruct two of the Navis. Although two might be enough, considering what they'd done. They were both stored in tubes, on this digital landscape.

One of the Navis was a tiny, delicate girl. Her eyes were closed, but Fins knew that when they opened, they would be cornflower blue. Her outfit was the same as before, but a different color… instead of pink, it had become a vibrant indigo. The parts that had been gold were now silver. Fins smirked. Rockman and the other dullards would recognize her in a heartbeat, even with the color change… she was a new version of Roll.

He turned his attention to the second Navi. Silver-white hair flowed down behind him, over pitch-black armor. He was all black now, from his feet to the flowing spike on his helmet. Fins glanced down at his hands. Fiery orange claws glowed on his left hand, pulsing slowly. They were his new default weapons. But Enzan would also have recognized him in a heartbeat… he was a new Blues.

Fins turned his head to look at Knut. "Ready to activate them?"  
  
"Yeah…" Knut looked at the new Navi's, rather uneasily. "Are you guys sure about this, though? Independent Net Navis… it's kinda creepy." Fins smirked. That was the change they had worked on the copies of Blues and Roll.

Gospel had thrown the copies together very quickly, so they'd be technically normal Net Navis. And had been thrown into battle without any operators… small wonder they'd been trashed. All they'd had had been their innate abilities.

Now, they had been altered. More normal Net Navis wouldn't be useful for Mito, since he already had Fins and Knut. But independent ones would be. Normally, that would have been impossible… independent Net Navis weren't easy to make. But…

_It gets easy when you can just copy files. And a Super-Navi is independent by definition._ Mito didn't quite understand what he had done, but Fins had directed him. An independent Net Navi was usually limited, though, to whatever chips were tied to him. They could only use them so many times, over a length of time. A true Super-Navi didn't have that limitation… but Fins did, and so would these.

_Still worthwhile._ Mito had already picked the chips to tie to them, although that might change in the future. They both had Recov50, Dash, Hi-Cannon, Mini-Bomb and Sword. Common chips, but they'd be able to use them far more quickly than a normal Navi.

"Start the activation, Knut." Mito's voice echoed in the digital landscape, and Knut nodded with a sigh, activating the programs.

There was a long moment of silence, as the tubes powered up. Then, the Navis inside began to twitch.

The Roll look-alike woke up first. She twitched, moaning softly, tossing her head back as the tube opened to release her. Her eyes opened, wide and brilliant blue.

"Who…? Where?" She said weakly, sliding her arms out of the tube, gripping the edges. Fins smiled.

"You're in our computer. We-" Then, the other tube shattered. Fins whirled, arms forming cannons, as the second Navi erupted from his containment.

Left hand ready, he scanned the digital landscape, looking for threats. His visor hid most of his expression… but not all. And Fins could recognize rage.

"Where is he? _Where is he?!?_" The black Navi turned, and began to slash up the tube that had contained him. Fins kept his guns on him, but said nothing. Now probably wasn't the time to catch attention. "I'll kill him! I'll tear him to _shreads!_" He went on in the vein for several minutes. Fins was impressed with his command of invective… and how dissimilar he was to Blues. Something had obviously changed a bit.

Something tugged on his arm, and he glanced down to see the female hiding behind him, peeking out at the angry Navi. Fins lifted an eyebrow, but let her stay there. It did no real harm.

"Who do you mean?" He asked the panting black Navi, who whirled on him, white hair billowing behind him. He was fairly sure of the answer, but he might as well ask.  
  
"BLUES! And I'm going to find that bastard and _delete him!_" Fins winced at that shriek… then his eyes widened as the Navi suddenly exited into the net.  
  
"Wait! You idiot, you can't-" He swore as the Navi disappeared, then turned to look at the Roll Navi. "Wait here with Knut, figure out what you're going to call yourself, while I get that idiot." She nodded hesitantly. Fins waited for no more confirmation, and dove into the net.

Fortunately, he and Mito had somewhat anticipated this. "Mito! Do you have the signature?" A unique energy signature in the new Roll and Blues, easily tracked.

"Right here. Track…" Fins eyes narrowed as a graph superimposed itself over his vision. He had no trouble keeping track of it and the reality of the net at the same time. He flew along easily, increasing his speed.

In a way, he wasn't very worried. The new Blues was looking for the old, but he wouldn't have a clue where to find him. Netbattlers of Enzan's caliber did not post their addresses for anyone to see, and Enzan was dangerously competent. He wouldn't make such an elementary mistake.

And yet, something was wrong. The red speck that showed the new Navi was moving very, very purposefully. In a straight line, without any wavering at all.

"He knows where he's going." Fins spoke the words out loud, than grimaced. Mito's voice came, startled.

"He's what? How?" Fins shrugged slightly, increasing his speed.  
  
"I don't know how, but get ready to feed me chips. I think I'm going to be meeting Blues.EXE."  
  
"Well, hell!" Mito quickly pulled out his chips, though. He didn't want to loose Fins, or the new Navi he'd worked so hard to recompile.

If that meant deleting Blues.EXE… then so be it. But…  
  
"Just grab him and get out of there, Fins. We don't need the Netbattlers after us." He urged. They would probably still be looking for them, but not as hard as they would be if Blues was deleted. And Enzan would take a deletion personally, although he'd just reinstall Blues from backups.

"Right." Fins nodded, lips thinning as the new Navi stopped. He'd found his target, and now it was time to fight…


End file.
